San Diego County Office of Education Launches MCCYN-PLUS to Expand Child Care Options for Military Families

The San Diego County Office of Education (SDCOE) is excited to announce the launch of the Military Child Care in Your Neighborhood-PLUS (MCCYN-PLUS) initiative. This initiative aims to support eligible military families by providing greater access to high-quality, affordable child care in their communities. Funded and operated by the Department of Defense (DoD), MCCYN-PLUS also offers fee assistance to help reduce out-of-pocket child care expenses.

MCCYN-PLUS is an expansion of the existing Military Child Care in Your Neighborhood (MCCYN) program. This enhanced initiative broadens the pool of eligible child care providers by including those participating in the County’s San Diego Quality Preschool Initiative (SDQPI). By partnering with SDQPI, MCCYN-PLUS ensures that military families have access to high-quality, affordable child care, even in regions where nationally accredited providers may be limited. 

Military families can search for and select an approved child care provider through the DoD’s request-for-care website, MilitaryChildCare.com. Families may receive fee assistance that will offset the cost of child care not covered by the parent fee (calculated by total family income) up to the current provider rate cap of $1,800 per month, per child making it easier for them to afford quality child care.

“We recognize the sacrifices made by military families and are committed to providing them with the support they need," said San Diego County Superintendent of Schools Dr. Gloira E. Ciriza. “San Diego is home to many military families, and through the expanded MCCYN-PLUS initiative, they will now be able to access more than 400 community providers. The MCCYN-PLUS program is a testament to our dedication to ensuring that military families have access to quality, affordable child care, regardless of their location."

The Military Child Care in Your Neighborhood program is a result of collaboration between state and federal agencies and has helped military families reduce child care costs for over a decade. With the addition of San Diego County, MCCYN-PLUS is now in 16 states and one county, and is available to active-duty military personnel, National Guard members, reservists, and DoD civilian personnel. If you are a provider participating in the SDQPI, your business can be displayed on http://www.militarychildcare.com for families to select. Once selected, a fee assistance administrator will contact the child care provider for additional information. 

SDCOE is dedicated to supporting military families by providing access to quality child care services. Through initiatives like MCCYN-PLUS, SDCOE works to positively impact the lives of military families and ensure they have the resources they need.